Bad news for LSG fans! Rishabh Pant decided to leave Lucknow Super Giants captaincy

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will head into IPL 2027 with a new captain after Rishabh Pant decided to step down from the leadership role despite another disappointing season for the franchise.

The decision comes after LSG endured a forgettable IPL 2026 campaign, finishing at the bottom of the points table with just four wins from 14 matches. Pant, who joined the franchise for a record Rs 27 crore ahead of IPL 2025, informed the management of his desire to relinquish captaincy duties, a request that has now been accepted.

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LSG confirm Pant’s captaincy exit

Lucknow Super Giants officially confirmed on Friday that Pant had stepped down as captain with immediate effect.

The franchise’s Global Director of Cricket Tom Moody thanked Pant for his contribution as leader and said the focus would now shift towards rebuilding the team.

“Rishabh approached the franchise with this request and we have respectfully accepted it. These decisions are never easy. We are grateful for everything Rishabh has brought to this dressing room as captain. Our focus now is on the collective – rebuilding and restructuring to reach the best standards,” said Moody.

Two difficult seasons under Pant

Pant arrived at Lucknow with huge expectations after leaving Delhi Capitals and becoming the most expensive player in IPL history at the mega auction.

However, results never went according to plan. LSG finished seventh in IPL 2025 before slipping to last place in IPL 2026.

Across two seasons as captain, Pant led the team in 28 matches, winning 10 and losing 18.

His own performances with the bat also failed to reach the standards fans had become accustomed to. In two seasons for Lucknow, Pant scored 581 runs at a strike rate of 135.74.

Why Pant decided to step down

According to a franchise official, Pant had already made up his mind soon after the season ended.

The official revealed that the wicketkeeper-batter felt the team’s plans and vision were not translating into results on the field. At the same time, he found it increasingly difficult to balance leadership responsibilities while trying to rediscover his best batting form.

“Rishabh was very clear about leaving as LSG’s captain right after the tournament ended. From his perspective, the vision he had for the team as the captain, it just wasn’t translating into reality. Also, it was becoming too much for him to balance things as captain while his primary skillsets, especially his batting form, wasn’t at its best.

“It’s also understood that Rishabh told the LSG coaching staff and management that it would be selfish of him to continue as captain after yet another disappointing season. Plus, he wants to prioritise his batting in the longer run, considering he is not an automatic pick in the Indian side in white-ball formats,” said the official.

Focus shifts back to batting

During IPL 2026, Pant had openly admitted that having too many voices involved in decision-making sometimes made leadership more complicated.

Questions over his future as captain had already started surfacing after LSG’s poor campaign, with Moody indicating after the team’s final league game that leadership changes could be discussed during the off-season.

According to the franchise official, Pant’s decision was influenced by several factors, including his own high expectations as a player and captain.

“One key thing to note is that Rishabh has high standards, and if he doesn’t touch them, either as a batter, keeper or captain, he will quickly realise it before anyone tells him. Moreover, Rishabh was clear that he did not wish to wait until the trading window opened or retention discussions for the next season commenced to speak to coaches and management on his future as LSG captain.

“There was also this feeling within Rishabh that he let down LSG fans too as a leader, and that weighed heavily on him as well. So, ultimately, it was a mixed bag of factors behind him leaving the captaincy and subsequently, the franchise also accepted his desire to let go of the leadership armband and allow Rishabh to concentrate on his batting,” added the official.

Major decision before IPL 2027

With Pant stepping aside, Lucknow Super Giants now face an important decision regarding their leadership group ahead of the next season.

For Pant, the move offers an opportunity to focus entirely on his wicketkeeping and batting as he looks to regain his best form and strengthen his case across all formats for India.

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